The actor died at age 86 of natural causes.
Ron Masak has died. Just days after Angela Lansbury's death, her Murder, She Wrote co-star died, his daughter said in a statement posted to Facebook. Masak was 86.
Kaylie Defilippis, one of Masak's 10 grandchildren, told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died on Thursday of natural causes at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, California.
"It is with a very heavy and broken heart that today October 20, 2022 our father Ron Masak passed at the age of 86," Masak's daughter wrote on Facebook. "He was surrounded by his wife and all six children."
The statement went on to praise Masak for his "expansive career in the entertainment industry." Amid his six decades of work, Masak became known as "The King of Commercials" and for playing Sheriff Mort Metzger on Murder, She Wrote.
Masak played the latter role, which he held for upward of 40 episodes, alongside Lansbury, who starred as Jessica Fletcher, a widowed, retired English teacher who solved local murders. Lansbury died peacefully in her sleep earlier this month. She was 96.
Throughout his career, Masak also appeared on countless TV shows including Bewitched, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and I Dream of Jeannie, and starred in movies including Evel Knievel and The Benchwarmers.
According to his IMDb page, Masak was attached to two upcoming projects: The Curse of Gorgon, which is listed as completed, and Quigley 2, which is currently in pre-production.
In addition to his work onscreen, Masak was dedicated to both giving back and to his family.
"Ron also spent many years playing an integral role in various charity events for Wounded Warriors, Child Help, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Susan G. Komen Foundation, The Jerry Lewis Telethon, and many more," Masak's daughter wrote. "Most importantly, we will remember him as a husband, a Father, a Papa, a Father in Law, and a great friend."
She concluded, "He has touched so many lives and will be greatly missed."
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